WINE OF THE WEEK: Château de la Marjolière Cahors Tradition 2020, Cahors, France

£16.95, Vintage Roots

This is Cahors for fans of Argentinian Malbec just as much as it is for dyed-in-the-the wool devotees of Cahors: a generous, plush style with dark fruit – think sun-warmed blackberries and ripe black plums – woven with classic liquorice, spice and mineral-graphite notes, velvet-smooth tannins and a lovely fresh green lift.

It’s a blend of 80 per cent Malbec with 20 per cent Merlot aged in concrete vats for a year – deliberately unoaked to give full expression to the fruit and terroir – and bottled unfined and infiltered after allowing for a natural clarification.

Until the end of last year, I had never heard of Château de la Marjolière, a small estate – just four hectares – on south-facing slopes in the far west of the Cahors appellation, in Soturac on the right bank of the river Lot, although I had occasionally encountered its neighbour and sibling, the 14-ha Château Les Hauts d’Aglan.

Both properties are owned and run by Isabelle Rey-Auriat, a fifth generation grower who did business studies in Toulouse before deciding to come back and run the family wine estates. She has since converted both to organic (certified).

Local dishes to serve with the 2020 Château de la Marjolière Cahors Tradition include duck – both confit de canard and magret de canard (served rare) – cassoulet, the flavoursome, limestone-grazed, local lamb (agneau fermier des Causses du Lot), or rabbit with prunes.

It can also be paired with steak (like Argentinian Malbec) and with dishes with North African spices and/or sweetness, such as Moroccan tagines, merguez sausages, Argentina’s carbonada criolla (beef stew with pumpkin, sweet potato and dried fruit), or chorizo and butter bean casserole. 14.5%. Empty bottle weight: 455g.

Château de la Marjolière Cahors Tradition 2020, Cahors, France

£16.95, Vintage Roots; £17.29, Natural Grocery; £17.99, The Green Room

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